From the book
A Chymical Dictionary
Gerhard Dorn and John French · Diotimos Editions · 2026
Browse this book’s lexicon →Orientation
At a Glance
- The wordA metallic matter described through colour, surface and workability.
- In the bookKachimia and Marcasita classify metallic material as unripe.
- A place to readThe historical definition below, 1650 dictionary, unnumbered definition page 28; facsimile PDF page 356.
Historical definition
Kobalt, Cobaltum or Cobletum is a metallic matter blacker than lead or iron, lacking metallic lustre, yet capable of being melted and hammered.
Meaning
The description combines an absence with capacities. Although the matter lacks the shining appearance expected of a metal, the compiler credits it with melting and being worked by hammering. These are the features by which this particular material is presented to recognition.
Use in the book
Kachimia and Marcasita classify metallic material as unripe. Kobalt instead gives a cluster of observable properties. The difference matters: a definition by appearance and behaviour need not carry the same developmental explanation as a definition by ripeness.
Places to read
In this edition
The historical name is not silently replaced with a modern elemental identity. The described sample and its properties are what the source actually supplies.
Source note
Historical source. 1650 dictionary, unnumbered definition page 28; facsimile PDF page 356 — Facsimile
Sources. A Chymical Dictionary 1650, 1650 dictionary, facsimile PDF page 356, Kobalt